SMA PLT LANDS AT WRONG ARPT; VIOLATES CLASS D AIRSPACE. LANDED WITHOUT CLRNC.
Synopsis
SMA PLT LANDS AT WRONG ARPT; VIOLATES CLASS D AIRSPACE. LANDED WITHOUT CLRNC.
Narrative
I TOOK OFF FROM SUWANNEE COUNTY ARPT TO FLY TO MOULTRIE; GA. ARPT WITH SCATTERED TSTMS IN AREA. WAS FLYING 310 DEGS WITH INTENTIONS OF INTERCEPTING 180 DEG RADIAL FROM MOULTRIE VOR OR 355 DEG RADIAL FROM GREENVILLE VOR. I WAS DEVIATING TO AVOID RAIN SHOWERS AND AFTER APPROX 25 MINS MY NAV COM QUIT WORKING. I CHKED FUSES; SQUELCH; KNOBS AND EVERYTHING ELSE CONCERNING THE RADIO; BUT IT WAS NOT WORKING AT ALL. I FIGURED THAT IF I FLEW A COMPASS HDG OF APPROX 320 DEGS THAT I WOULD SOON SEE THE RAILROAD TRACKS LEADING TO MOULTRIE. AFTER APPROX 60 MINS FROM TKOF; I DECIDED THAT I WAS NW OF MOULTRIE; SO I FLEW SE. AFTER ABOUT 10 MINS I SAW AN ARPT THAT LOOKED LIKE MOULTRIE; SO I CIRCLED IT AND SAW NO TFC AND I LANDED ON ITS N RWY AND TURNED OFF AT THE FIRST TURNOFF. SOMETHING FELT TERRIBLY WRONG AND I TAXIED BACK TO THE DEP END OF THE RWY AND PROMPTLY TOOK OFF. I REMAINED ALERT FOR OTHER AIR TFC AND SAW NONE. AS I CLBED FOR ALT; I WAS DESPERATELY TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT WAS WRONG. SUDDENLY IT HIT ME LIKE A TON OF BRICKS. I HAD LANDED AT THE WRONG ARPT AND I HAD VIOLATED AN ATA AND I HAD LANDED WITHOUT A LNDG CLRNC. I WAS DUMBSTRUCK THAT I HAD DONE SUCH A STUPID THING. I FLEW BACK TO SUWANNEE ARPT AND CHKED MY ACFT AND FOUND: 1) MY NAV COM HAD COME UNPLUGGED AND HAD NO PWR. I PLUGGED IT BACK IN AND IT WORKS. 2) MY MAGNETIC COMPASS WAS 50 DEGS OFF HDG. THE RUBBER DIAPHRAGM HAD CRACKED AND IT WAS ALMOST TOTALLY DRY OF FLUID. A REBUILD KIT HAS BEEN ORDERED. 3) IT SEEMS THAT MY DEVIATING IN TSTMS; A WIND FROM THE W; AND MY COMPASS BEING OFF APPROX 50 DEGS; AND MY TURNING TO 320 DEGS (WHICH WAS ACTUALLY ABOUT 010 DEGS) HAD PUT ME E OF MOULTRIE AND NNW OF VALDOSTA; GA. 4) IF I HAD KNOWN THAT I WAS LNDG AT VALDOSTA AND ITS ATA; I WOULD NOT HAVE LANDED! I HAD FULL TANKS AND SECTIONALS ON BOARD (5 HRS ENDURANCE. ESTIMATED ROUND TRIP WAS JUST UNDER 2 HRS -- C172B). I DID A POOR JOB OF PILOTAGE AND NEED TO WORK ON THAT. ALTHOUGH MY RADIO PLUG BECAME LOOSE WHEN SOME WORK WAS BEING DONE UNDER THE DASH; EVERYTHING WILL BE CHKED BY A RADIO TECHNICIAN. A GPS IN THIS SIT WOULD HAVE BEEN A GODSEND!
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.